All things rural

Museum opens new exhibit

The Lansing Historical Museum has opened its second exhibit of the year with a look at the agricultural history of Leavenworth County.

The exhibit, "Country Folk and the Land," opened Tuesday, May 30, and will run through Sept. 2.

Laura Phillippi, museum site supervisor, said the exhibit contained several items that illustrate how much agricultural impacts everyday life.

"As Leavenworth becomes more urban, the farming is on the wane," Phillippi said. "Little kids anymore haven't grown up on or around a farm, so they don't understand where their food comes from or how plants grow."

Some of the artifacts on display are old farm equipment, a 100-year-old western-style saddle, a model that shows soil conservation practices and old photos from wheat and apple harvests to 4-H clubs. Most of the artifacts came from contributions by Sisters of Charity, Tonganoxie Community Historical Society and the Leavenworth Public Library.

Phillippi said she hoped people would learn facts from the exhibit they never knew as a way to preserve the agricultural history of the area.

One item she said was usually shocking to most people was to hear the number of different uses there are for sheep. Besides wool, sheep contribute to items such as antifreeze, dice, cosmetics, tires and candles.

The exhibit is free to the public, but there is a donation jar set up for the Kiowa County Historical Society to help with the loss of its museum in the recent Greensburg tornado.

The Lansing museum is at 115 E. Kansas Ave. between the Leavenworth County Fire District No. 1 building and the Lansing Correctional Facility.